Category: Valleys

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Rising Car Insurance Rates Are Putting New Pressure on Household Budgets

Rising car insurance rates are forcing households to reconsider how much they drive, what coverage they carry, and which expenses can wait. Drivers can ease the pressure by comparing policies, reviewing deductibles, and removing unnecessary costs without giving up essential financial protection.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Why Black-Owned Businesses Can’t Afford to Be Invisible to AI

Many people use AI tools to search for products and services instead of search engines. If Black-owned businesses aren’t easy for AI to find, they end up losing potential customers. Let AI help you gain the trust of people who are considering your business for the first time so your brand can grow.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Insurance redlining means two identical drivers pay different prices

Insurance redlining happens when the address on your policy shapes your rate more than your record behind the wheel. Companies build prices from personal details like your neighborhood and credit, not just your driving history. The result: two drivers with identical records can pay far different premiums, and the steeper bill usually falls on Black neighborhoods.

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Dodgers Get Hot, Ride Six-Game Winning Streak

The Los Angeles Dodgers caught fire this week, winning six consecutive games — tied for their longest winning streak of the season — before Atlanta ended the run with a 4-3 victory at Truist Park.

Bakersfield
Kathleen Untalan

Why Kern County and Black Americans love Dolly

I wonder if “quiet” is the right reference here. Maybe it’s more a particular kind of “grief?” In Kern County, Dolly Parton is being mourned as much for her philanthropy and impact on children as she is for her worldwide impact on music and bridging cultures.

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

Chargers Fall to 49ers, 41-17, in Preseason Loss

The Los Angeles Chargers struggled in all three phases Thursday night, falling 41-17 to the San Francisco 49ers in a preseason matchup that exposed costly mistakes on offense, defense and special teams.

16th Street Baptist Church
African Americans
News Observed

Historic Black Churches Can Apply for Up to $500,000 by September 11

The National Trust’s Preserving Black Churches program is accepting applications through September 11, 2026, offering grants of $50,000 to $500,000 for repairs, planning, and long-term sustainability at historically Black churches nationwide.

US Dept of Labor
African Americans
News Observed

Black Women’s Unemployment Rate Fell. The Reality Behind It Didn’t

Black unemployment is the highest of any group in the country, yet one number moved the ‘right’ way this year. The improvement is a statistical illusion — and understanding why reveals both who got pushed out of the workforce and what Black women are building instead.

FEMA - 38805 - Utility crews working on power lines
African Americans
News Observed

Gary’s Blackout Is a Storm Repair, Not a National Grid Collapse

A viral claim ties Gary, Indiana’s two-week power outage to a supposed 18-month nationwide blackout. The outage is real and NIPSCO’s response deserves scrutiny — but the 18-month figure comes from a 2014 sabotage scenario that has nothing to do with this storm.

Maternity ward Gellman Hospital Raahe 20240817 03
African Americans
News Observed

One in Three U.S. Counties Now Has Nowhere to Give Birth

A 2026 March of Dimes report finds 34.6% of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, with at least 96 labor and delivery units closed since January 2024 — and research shows the closures fall hardest on hospitals serving Medicaid patients and Black families, including in Kern County and the Antelope Valley.